Sign up now for Oct. 5 run/walk to aid boxing program for people with Parkison’s

August 29, 2024

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Carbondale's inaugural Rock Steady Boxing Run/Walk on Oct. 5 has two goals - increasing awareness about Parkinson's disease and SIU's Rock Steady Boxing program and raising funds for new classes and equipment.

The 2.2-mile race begins at 9 a.m. at the Ralph E. Becker Pavilion, and the course goes around the beautiful Campus Lake at SIU. Advance registration is requested, and the cost is $10. All ages are welcome. Sign up online.

Changing lives

All proceeds of the run/walk will go to SIU's Rock Steady Boxing program, which Recreational Sports and Services launched in 2018 to enhance the lives of people who have Parkinson's disease through participation in a fitness curriculum largely adapted from no-contact boxing drills. SIU's Student Recreation Center offers the classes taught by certified instructors several times each week on a fee basis, and the exercises have proven very effective in helping participants combat the effects of Parkinson's, a degenerative movement disorder that results in deterioration of motor skills, balance, speech and sensory function.

For more information about the Rock Steady Boxing Run/Walk or the program, contact Sydney Devine at [email protected]. Donations are also welcome.